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Saturday, 1 October 2011

Frogs

The dart frog

Poison Dart Frog are Considered to be one of the most toxic animals on Earth, golden poison dart frogs have enough venom to kill ten grown humans. The Poison Dart Frog is not a very large amphibian as it typically weighs about 2 to 7 grams (0.07-0.25 oz) and is only 1.5 to 6 cm (0.6 to 2.4″) long. There are about 175 different species hanging out in the tropical jungles of Central and South America.

The Poison Dart Frog greatly depends upon the large leaves of the Rain-forest to provide much needed shade from the hot Tropical sun.

Poison dartfrogs are small colorful frogs. They live in warm humid habitats. Poison dart frogs eat meadow plankton and small insects. Poison dart frogs got their names because some tribes in the rainforest took the poison off of the frog and put it on their arrows to make deadly weapons. Poison dart frogs can be almost any bright color. Some snakes have evolved immunity to these compounds and are thus able to prey upon adult frogs. A snaked called Leimadophis epinephelus has developed a resistance to their poison and will actually feed on the Poison Dart Frog.

These frogs are adapted to moist tropical forests and this species is consuming native or non-native arthropods

Phylum or Division:Chordata

Class: Amphibia

Order: Anura

Family: Dendrobatidae

Identification: Adults are brilliantly marked with contrasting green or blue colored bands and spots on a black or brown background (several color morphs exist). These small frogs are about 25-60 mm long as adults, and the all black tadpoles range from around 22 mm to as large as 45 mm.

Established on the island of O'ahu, Hawaii in addition to the original distribution.

Golden Poison Frogs Characteristics

Golden Poison Frogs can reach up to 5 cms (2 inches) in
length and they can be green, yellow or orange in colour. They have disks on
their toes to enable them to climb and they have a distinctive bone plate on
their lower jaw which gives them the appearance of having teeth.

Golden Poison Frogs Habitat

Golden Poison Frogs are endemic to the Pacific coast of
Colombia, South America. They inhabit rainforests and tend to live close to
small streams.

Golden Poison Frogs Diet

Golden Poison Frogs mainly feed on ants, but they also eat
other insects and small invertebrates.

Golden Poison Frogs Breeding

Golden Poison Frogs breed during the rainy season and the
female lays her eggs in moist leaf litter or under rocks. The male fertilizes
the eggs then he regularly visits them until they hatch. Once the tadpoles have
hatched the male carries them on his back to a larger area of water where they
can complete their metamorphosis.

Golden Poison Frogs Interesting Facts

Golden Poison Frogs are also known as:

Golden Dart Frog

Golden Poison Frogs are considered to be the
most poisonous vertebrate in the world. However, when kept in captivity they
are not poisonous as they do not eat their natural diet.